E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Equisetum variegatum subsp. variegatum
northern scouring-rush
Equisetaceae (Horsetail family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Curtis Bjork  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #15757)

E-Flora BC Static Map
Distribution of Equisetum variegatum subsp. variegatum
Click here to view our interactive map and legend
Details about map content are available here
Click on the map dots to view record details.

Species Information

Click on the image below to view an expanded illustration for this species.



General:
Perennial evergreen from a branched, shiny, blackish rhizome.
Stems:
10-50 cm tall, 1-3 mm thick, their central cavity 1/4 the stem diameter, unbranched, the sheaths with 3-14 teeth.
Cones:
5-7 mm long, pointed at the tip.
Notes:
A hybrid with E. hyemale (E. x trachyodon A. Braun) was collected on the Queen Charlotte Islands (Calder & Taylor 1968). A hybrid with E. laevigatum (E. x nelsonii [A. A. Eaton] Schaffn.) has not been reported from BC, but can be expected.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Wet lake shores, streambanks, fens, meadows, clearings and roadsides from the lowland and steppe to subalpine and (rarely) alpine zones; frequent in coastal (ssp. alaskanum) and interior BC (ssp. variegatum); circumpolar, N to AK, E to NF and S to NH, CT, PA, MI, MN, WY, CO, UT, ID and OR; Eurasia.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Equisetum variegatum ssp. variegatum

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum

Elevation (metres) 1594 1594 1594
Slope Gradient (%) 2 2 2
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]
0
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
7 7 7
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
B
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:
1
Modal BEC Zone Class
ESSF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: ESSF(1)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Equisetum variegatum var. variegatum Schleich. ex F. Weber & D. Mohr

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References